Man of the Year finalist: Brady Clark

Winning a national championship is a big deal, and most athletes would be thrilled to win one.

In 2012 Brady Clark won two, which is certainly impressive. Even more impressive, it pushed his career total to a remarkable 12 national titles.

Clark, who lives in Lynnwood, was the skip (captain) of a team that included his wife, Cristin, Sean Beighton of Seattle and Bev Walter of Seattle that won the U.S. championship in mixed curling (teams of two men and two women).

The 35-year-old Clark also teamed with Cristin Clark to win the U.S. title for mixed doubles.

The latter victory qualified the Clarks to represent the United States at the 2012 World Mixed Doubles Curling Championship last April in Erzurum, Turkey. The Clarks finished 6-2 in their group, won a quarterfinal match against China, but finished out of the medals after losing to Switzerland in the semifinals and to Austria in the bronze-medal match.

Disappointing though it was not to receive a medal, the fourth-place finish at the world championships was a best for the Clarks, who had also competed in mixed doubles at worlds in 2009 and 2011.

For his curling accomplishments last year, Clark was a finalist for The Herald’s 2012 Man of the Year in Sports award.

Clark recently led a team of four to the 2013 U.S. national title in men’s curling, which qualified that quartet to be the American entry later this month at the 2013 world championships in Victoria, B.C. The team also receives an automatic spot in the U.S. Olympic Trials in November.